Valve



P. SPENCE Nov. 18, 1941,

VALVE Filed Dec. 24, 1942 z 4 5 w H J 8 a W J a m a a 4 a 7 a n {I}- MmW "3 5 9 l o 6 u a v" n m n 2 w, w a M Z 7 Z a 5.? a 5 3 a9 a w is as aINVENTOR Paulsen Spence BY ATTORNEY6.

Patented Nov. 18, 1947 2,431,283 VALVE Paulsen Spence, East Orange, N.J., assignor to Spence Engineering Company, Inc., Walden, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application December 24, 1942, Serial No.470,075

2 Claims. (01. 137-139) My invention relates to a regulating valve andthis application embodies subject-matter disclosed in my applicationSerial No. 304,881, filed November 17, 19 39.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved regulating valvearranged for either hand or pilot operation.

It is another object to provide a valve having improved features ofconstruction to facilitate certain manufacturing operations and to makefor accuracy of construction and operation.

Another object is to provide an improved form of indicator for aregulating valve.

It is another object to provide improved means for controlling thedischarge of pressure fluid from one or two sources such as one or twoboilers discharging into a steam line.

Other objects and various features of novelty and improvement will behereinafter pointed out or will become apparent to those skilled in theart.

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferredform of the invention- Fig. 1 is a view for the most part in centralvertical section, through a regulating valve and pilot, illustrative ofthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic view of a pair of pressure sourcesdischarging into a single line and embodying features of the invention.

The regulating valve shown in detail in Fig. 1 includes a valve body -5having a high pressure side 6 and a low pressure side 1. The partition 8between the high and low pressure sides has a threaded openingto receivea threaded valve seat member.9. The valve seat member 9 embodies a guidesleeve p tion ID for receiving and guiding the valve stem II. The valvebody itself has an additional stem guide passage I2 for the stem ll sothat the latter is guided accurately by the two guides concentricallywith the valve seat. The upper portion of the body has an opening of asize to freely pass the valve disk member [3 secured on a reducedportion of the stem l l as by means of nuts M. The open upper end of thevalve body is closed as by means of a blank flange l5 and interposedgasket, the flange being held in place as by means of bolts and nuts I6.It will be seen that by having the upper end of the valve body open andof large size, the opening in the partition 8 for the valve seat memberand the guide opening I2 in the body may both be machined with onesetting in the lathe and thus perfect alignment may be secured.

In the form shown, the valve body at the lower end has an externallyscrew threaded projection 2 I! for receiving the internally threadeddiaphragm base I8. The diaphragm hood I9 is secured to the base as bymeans of bolts 20, and a diaphragm 2| is clamped between the base andthe hood in fluid-tight manner, as will be understood. The valve stem Hextends downwardly into the diaphragm chamber formed between the baseand the hood and may cooperate with or be secured to the pressure plate22 resting on the diaphragm. A compression spring 23 is interposedbetween the pressure plate 22 and a counterbore 24 in the extension llof the valve body. The spring 23 serves to urge the main valve l3 towardclosed position and the valve is urged toward open position by fluidpressure, as will be set forth.

The regulating valve is normally controlled by a pilot valve, which maycomprise a pilot valve body 25, which has a fluid passage controlled bymean-s of a spring 28 interposed between a head 29 on the stem and aseat in the upper part of the valve body, namely, within the pilot valvedia- 5 phragm base 30. A diaphragm 3| may be secured to or cooperatewith an upper part of the stem 21 and the diaphragm is clamped influid-tight manner between the base 30 and the hood ring' 32 secured tothe base. Studs 33, constituting standards, may be secured to the hoodring 32 and a spring yoke 34 is slidable on the standards and held invarious positions of adjustment as by means of the adjusting nuts 35. Aspring 36 is interposed between the adjustable yoke 34 and a springbutton 31 which may cooperate with an extension of the stem 21 or somepart actuable by the diaphragm.

A high pressure connection, such as the pressure tubing 38, leads fromthe high pressure side 6 of the main valve to the high pressure side/ ofthe pilot valve. A low pressure connection 39 is made to the lowpressure side of the pilot valve and leads to both the high'pressureside of the main diaphragm BI and to the low pressure side I of the mainvalve or other zone of low pressure. In the form shown, the connectionto the low pressure side of the main pilot valve embodies a T-fltting 40having a. branch 4| extending to the lower or hi h pressure side of themain diaphragm 2|. A bleed fitting 42 is located at some point in theconnection. The other branch 43 from the T-fltting leads to the lowpressure side of the main valve or to some other zone of, low pressureand a bleed fitting 4 4 is located in that branch.

The pilot valve is controlled by thermostatic, pressure, or other means.In the form shown, a pressure connection 45 is made to the space beneaththe diaphragm 3| so that upon increase in pressure, the diaphragm willbe raised and the pilot valve 26 raised or urged toward closed position.In an ordinary pressure regulator, the

connection 45 would lead to the low pressure side of the main valve sothat the pilot would be controlled in accordance with the outletpressure of the main valve.

The operation of the valve as thus far described l is as follows:

,With the pilot valve 26 in open position, high pressure fluid will passthrough pressure line 38, past pilot valve 26, through the T-fltting 40,pipes 4| and 43 to the diaphragm chamber and to low A side of the valveso as to reduce the pressure beneath the main diaphragm 2| and permitthe main valve I3 to move toward closed position, Under normalconditions, the pilot valve will reach such position that a balance willbe established and the discharge pressure of the main regulating valvewill be maintained.

It, is often desirable to operate a regulating valve by hand. With mosttypes of regulating valves, any hand operation is exceedingly diflicult,due to pressure normally in a diaphragm chamber tending to hold thevalve closed. In

3 accordance with my invention, I provide means j for converting thepilot-operated regulating valve into a hand-operated valve and cause thepressure to be balanced on opposite sides of the diaphragm so as togreatly facilitate hand operation.

In the form illustrated, I provide means for cutting of! the flow ofhigh pressure fluid to the main diaphragm and preferably to the pilotvalve point in the control lines so as to prevent the flow of highpressure fluid to the diaphragm 2| and to perm-it bleeding of highpressure fluid therefrom. The valve 46, in the form illustrated, islocated in the line 38. Thus, when the cutoff valve 46 is closed, nohigh pressure fluid may itself. I prefer to employ a stop valve 46 atsome i reach the pilot valve nor either of the lines 4 |43,

i and high pressure fluid beneath the diaphragm 2| may bleed into thelow pressure side of the main valve through the bleed fitting 44. Sincethe upper surface of the; diaphragm 2| is subjected to the pressure offluid in the low pressure side of the valve (because of the bleed orpassage of fluid as through valve guide l2), the pressure on oppositesides of the diaphragm 2|.

will be balanced and the spring 23 will normally serve to hold the mainvalve l3 in closed position. I provide hand-operated means for actuatingthe valve l3. In the form shown; the

diaphragm hood has a valve bonnet or gland 41 screwed into it and thehand valve stem 48 is threaded into the bonnet 41 in the usual manner. Apusher plate 49 is interposed between the valve stem 48 and the lowerside of the diaphragm so that when the valve stem 48 is turned up bymeans of the handle 58, the main diabalanced, the hand operation will begreatly facilitated.

In order to obtain a visual indication of the position of the main valveI3, I have provided an improved form of indicator. As illustrated, theblank flange l5, covering the open end of the main valve body, isprovided with a threaded opening 5| preferably concentric with the valvestem The opening 5| r'eceives a bonnet fitting 52, which has a centralpacked passage for an indicator stem 53. The lower end of the stem maycarry a pusher plate 54 engageable with the upper end of the valve stemII and a com-' pression spring 55 between the pusher plate and theflange l5 serves to maintain contact between the indicator stem 53 andthe upper end of the I An indicator finger 56 may be valve stem securedto the indicator stem as by means of nuts 51, and the position of theindicator at the outside of the bonnet will indicate the position of themain valve.

One advantageous application of my improved valve is in connection withthe controlling of pressures from two separate sources leading into asingle line. In the form shown in Fig. 2, I have illustrated two suchsources, as boilers 60 and BI. A line 82 from boiler I0 discharges intothe main steam line 63 and the line 84 from boiler 6| discharges intothe same steam line. A hand operated valve 65 may be positioned in theline 62. A regulating valve 68 of the type heretofore described inconnection with Fig. 1 may be interposed in the line 64, It should behere stated that it is exceedingly difficult to provide automatic meansfor controlling and apportioning steam from two separate boilersdischarging into a single line. Therefore, under normal conditions, theboiler 8| may be considered as the boiler supplying steam to the line83, in which case the stop valve 55 may be closed completely and thepressure from boiler 8| will be automatically regulated by means of thevalve in the manner heretofore described. When the second boiler 60 isto be cut in, the stop valve will be opened and hand controlled, and theregulating valve 8 8will be converted into a hand controlled valve, asheretofore described, and thus the two boilers will be'under handcontrol and such control has been found highly preferable under theconditions noted.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail and apreferred form illustrated, it is to be understood that various changesmay be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a regulating valve, a valve body having a high pressure side and alow pressure side, a main valve member for controlling the flow ofpressure fluid from the high to the low pressure side, a diaphragm baseon said body, a diaphragm hood on said base, a diaphragm secured betweensaid base and hood, a valve stem extending from said valve to saiddiaphragm for actuation by the latter, means including a pilot valve forconducting high pressure fluid from the high pressure side of said mainvalve to the high pressure side of said diaphragm, bleed meansconnecting the low pressure side of said main valve to the high pressureside of said diaphragm, a stop valve for cutting of! connection betweenthe high pressure side of said main valve and the high pressure side ofsaid diaphragm, whereby through said bleed means the high pressure sideof said diaphragm may be subjected to the pressure at the low pressureside of said main valve, means for subjectin the other side or saiddiaphragm to the pressure at the low pressure side of said main valvewhereby the pressures on said diaphragm may be balanced, a manuallyoperable valve stem carried by said diaphragm hood and in alignment withsaid main valve stem, whereby said manually operable valve stem mayoperate said diaphragm and said main valve.

2. In a regulating valve, a valve body having a high pressure side and alow pressure side, a main valve member for controlling the flow ofpressure fluid from the high to the low pressure side, a fluid pressureactuated member for actuating said valve member, means including a pilotvalve for conducting high pressure fluid from the high pressure side ofsaid main valve to the high pressure side of said fluid pressureactuated member, bleed means connecting the high pressure side of saidfluid pressure actuated member to the low pressure side or said mainvalve, 9, stop valve for cutting on connection between the high pressureside of said main valve and the high pressure side or said fluidpressure actuated member, whereby through said bleed means the highpressure side of said fluid pressure actuated member may be subjected tothe pressure at the low pres- REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the flleof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,678,459 Bowland July 24, 19281,029,600 Foster June 18, 1912 2,067,510 Spence Jan. 12, 1937 2,196,279Thomas Apr. 9, 1940 445,041 Callahan Jan. 20, 1891 900,540 Hilger Oct.6, 1908 1,891,547 Krichbaum Dec. 20, 1932 705,369 Manley July 22, 19021,069,166 Noyes Aug. 5, 1913 2 2,258,335 I Moore Oct. 7, 1941 860,797Gaudin July 23, 1907 648,591 Metzger May 1, 1900 1,842,146 BrothertonJan. 19, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Switzerland June 1,1933

